Earlier today, Verizon announced the latest smartphone to join in on its roster of prepaid devices. The Motorola Moto G4 Play is the latest entry-level device that can now be purchased through Verizon.

Also known as the Moto G Play, the Moto G4 Play is considered as the smallest and cheapest among the latest devices manufactured by Motorola. It comes with a 5-inch display panel with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels and runs on a Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor with 2GB of RAM, 16GB onboard storage, and a microSD card slot for memory expansion. The device has an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with an f/2.2 aperture along with a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Powering the device is a 2,800mAh battery and Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow.

The best part about this announcement is the fact that the Moto G4 Play
can be purchased for $85 without the need for a contract with the carrier. Apart from the $85 price tag on the Moto G4 Play, it can also be purchased for $149.99 unlocked and $99.99 from Amazon Prime.

1GB of RAM and a 32GB SD card will be more than enough for most consumers.

If it functions as your go-to computer, that's when things get a bit more costly.

You'll want 32GB of native storage for app data and breathing room, a 64GB/128GB SD card for extra storage (depending on your needs), and at least 4GB of RAM to run the OS and a few apps without any lag or hassles.

But since it'd currently cost ~$325 for a solid 2-year device, while a $500 PC from yesteryear with 8GB of RAM could last 5, solid-performing smartphones still haven't struck a good balance between price and longevity.

With that being the case, the G4 Plus will wind up a non-starter for misers, deal hunters and the genuinely impoverished.

By the time it drops in price, Cricket will be selling 3GB Nougat devices with 16-32GB of internal storage for pennies on the dollar.

At that point, the still $200 G4 Plus will fade into obscurity like literally every other unsubsidized flagship and mid-ranger that set the price too damn high for anyone other than people who can piss away hundreds of their own (or their parents') money.

Anyway, it'll probably be a rootable/unlockable Alcatel, LG or Samsung that hits the right price point before a Motorola ever does.

Even though they were going in the right direction with the Moto E 2nd, they stopped significantly upgrading the series with the development of the 3rd, sentencing the formerly relevant E series to lag behind, stagnate and become mere disposable burners for people who just don't care.